Thank you for listening to the show. It's the perfect mix of my two passions: podcasting and gardening. They both come together to create The Still Growing Gardening Podcast and bring it to life each week.

Ethan
Kauffman (pronouncedcough-man) is on
the show today. Ethan’s the director at
Stoneleigh - America's newest public garden -
and we’re talking all about this exciting addition to our nation's
collection of public gardens. Plus I got the chance to talk
plants with Ethan (that was exciting!) and not
surprisingly, I learned a ton from him - which means, hopefully,
you will, too. You’re going to love hearing his thoughts on
favorite plants, using natives, and his choices
for perennials that shine in different
seasons. And all it can be found on the grounds
of Stoneleigh.

By way of background: for over
80 years,Stoneleigh was the home of the
Haas family. But, in 2016, they generously donated the
property to Natural Lands for preservation and
public enjoyment.

Located next to
Villanova University,Stoneleigh features some
incredible and distinguished trees, gorgeous pathways, and verdant
gardens. What’s more, it has been developed in the shadows of a
some pretty esteemed landscape architects over the past
century—including Charles H. Miller (who trained
at Kew), George Pentecost Jr. (son of missionary
and evangelist Reverand George Fredreick Pentecost
and a founding member of the ASLA -The American
Society of Landscape Architects), Ferruccio
Vitale (who created the country-estate landscape
of Skylands and played an integral
role for the magnificent Longwood Gardens in
Pennsylvania. According to author Terry
Schnadelbach who wrote, Ferruccio Vitale:
Landscape Architect of the Country Place Era, he is
"America's forgotten landscape architect”.) and
finally the Olmsted Brothers, the sons of
Frederick Law Olmsted - who is regarded
as the father of American landscape
architecture.

Now, a main priority at
Stoneleigh is to showcase the beauty of native
plants in a garden setting, something entomologist Doug
Tallemy is a huge advocate for (and as
luck would have it, he’s on the board of directors at Natural
Lands - so his input is readily accessible). As a result,
Stoneleigh is an impressive role
model for home gardeners; showing how a native garden
can be created to stunning effect!

Stoneleigh’s opening
weekend is this weekend, Mother’s Day
weekend, May 12 and 13, 2018. But if you can’t make
it; never fear. This garden will be free of charge
and open to the public year round.It’s truly a
special place!

Stoneleigh: America’s
Newest Public Garden, PLUS an in-depth chat with Ethan
Kauffman about his vision and the plants he loves most in the
garden

- that's the topic of
today’s show and it’s coming up after:

An update on the Listener
Community for the show and this week's Garden News
Roundup.

- - - - - -

After nearly two years of
planning and preparations, Stoneleigh: a natural
garden, is about to open to the public and it is a very
exciting addition to our country’s public
spaces.

Stoneleigh has
a rich and fascinating history.

One of the first mentions of
Stoneleigh appears in the
Memorial History of the City of
Philadelphia. Edmund Smith, a son of
Philadelphia, had married socialite Arabella
Barnes and he had worked his entire life (from the age of
18) at the Pennsylvania Railroad - ultimately
becoming Treasurer and then Vice President. In 1877, when he was 48
years old, Edmund purchased 65 acres of land in Villanova and built
a residence on Spring Mill Road. On
July 31, 1895, at the age of 66, Edmund passed away while on a
business trip in New York. It was reported that, “he
was buried at Villanova, where he had a suburban
residence, “Stoneleigh”.

Stoneleigh was designed by
the renowned architecture firm Wilson Brothers &
Company and constructed between 1877 and 1890 in the
Gothic style. Among many Wilson Brothers surviving buildings are
the main building of Drexel University
and and the Reading Terminal in
Philadelphia. Before he died, Edmund and his wife
Arabella, hired the well known English landscape gardener
Charles H. Miller. Trained at Kew
Gardens, Miller later served as chief gardener for
Fairmount Park and was best known for
his “Sunken Gardens”.

At the start of the 20th
century, Samuel Bodine acquired the property.
At the time, Bodine was President of United Gas
Improvement Company (UGI). At it’s peak, UGI was
the second largest public utility holding company in the
United States. In addition to completely razing the original home
and creating the magnificent Tudor
Revival home that exists today, Bodine hired the
newly formed New York landscape architecture firm of
Pentecost and Vitale to increase the formality of
the gardens in the heavily ornamented and lavish
“Beaux-Arts” style that had originated in Paris.
George Pentecost Jr. had designed the
National Mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument.
Ferruccio Vitale would work with many
partners during his career, amassing an impressive clientele that
included Isaac Guggenheim, Andrew Mellon, Percy Rockefeller, Alfred
DuPont, the paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore, and the publisher
Conde Nast. Their acclaim notwithstanding, Bodine was unhappy
with the results of the work on the property
at Stoneleigh. In 1908, Bodine reached
out to The Olmsted Brothers Company—spearheaded by
the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted and the most
prestigious landscape architecture firm in the country at the
time. With the help of the Olmstead
Brothers, Bodine oversaw the addition of new garden
houses, greenhouses, and formal gardens. For over half a
century, the relationship with the Olmsted Brothers would
be affirmed time and again at Stoneleigh: rerouting points of
entry, planning vistas and pathways, establishing gardens and
adding terraces.

Three generations later, the
property was divided and the southwestern portion of the
estate was sold to Otto Haas, an entrepreneur and
co-founder of Rohm and Haas Co.(later
acquired by Dow Chemical). In 1964, Otto's son,
John, and his wife, Chara, acquired the property.
John and Chara raised their five children at
Stoneleigh and made it their home
for the next five decades until their deaths in 2011 and
2012, respectively. For over 80 years, from 1932 until 2016,
Stoneleigh was carefully stewarded by the
Haas family. In 2016, the Haas family graciously
entrusted the home and land to Natural Lands -
ensuring that Stoneleigh’s extraordinary trees,
sweeping vistas, and intimate garden spaces will be
preserved forever.

With plans in place to
transition Stoneleigh from a private estate to a
public space, things began to move quickly. Natural
Lands started renovation on the property - on both the
home and its gardens. After conducting a thorough search,
Ethan Kauffman was hired as the director of
Stoneleigh and his main job would be overseeing
the transformation to a native garden.
Today, Stoneleigh is a showcase for
blending the aesthetic beauty of designed gardens
with the natural richness of native habitats. In
addition, the Tudor Revival home
at Stoneleigh serves as home to the
Organ Historical Society – an organization that
celebrates, preserves, and studies the pipe organ in America – and
a space for a wide variety of programs in the future.

This weekend’s grand opening at
Stoneleigh is the result of two years of
planning, planting, and preparation. On Saturday, May
12, 2018, from 4:00pm - 8:00pm, Natural Lands
members are invited to an exclusive “first look” before the
property opens to the public. Members can pick their own spot
on the Great Lawn for a BYO picnic. Birchtree
Catering is also available. Members can stroll the
gardens and tour the Main House—the Tudor Revival mansion - at
their leisure.

On Sunday, May 13, 2018, from
10:00am - 5:00pm, Stoneleigh officially opens to
the public is invited for a “Stroll About” – a
longtime tradition of the Haas family - a time when guests can
explore winding garden paths and absorb the beauty of spring.
On Sunday there is also a Natural
Lands Members-Only Mother’s Day Tea in the Main
House—prepared and served by the award-winning Birchtree
Catering. Reservations are required for one of three
seatings: 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, and 3:00 pm.

Becoming a member of
Natural Lands means you receive a year’s worth of
member benefits – plus your support will help to further
Natural Lands’ mission to save open space, care
for nature, and connect people to the outdoors. So
please consider joining this worthwhile
organization.

Today’s show is a wonderful
introduction to our newest public garden:
Stoneleigh - and a fantastic
behind-the-scenes look at the transformation. I want to
make sure to specifically recognize the great work of the dedicated
team of people who worked countess hours to get
this amazing, historic property ready for it’s debut:
Dennis Canakis, Laura Cruz, Cody Hudgens, Summer Sugg,
Jason Wirtz and of course, Ethan Kauffman -
Here’s Stoneleigh: America’s Newest Public Garden,
PLUS an in-depth chat with Ethan Kauffman about his
vision and the plants he loves most in the
garden

- - - - - -
-

Well, That’s it for our show
today on Stoneleigh: America’s Newest Public Garden,
PLUS an in-depth chat with Ethan Kauffman about his
vision and the plants he loves most in the
garden

I hope today’s show gave you a
better understanding of natural gardens and
reinforced a desire to incorporate more native plants into your
garden. I also would like to make sure to invite you necome a
member of Natural Lands. You’ll receive
a year’s worth of member benefits – plus your support will help to
further Natural Lands’ mission to save open space, care for nature,
and connect people to the outdoors. So
please consider joining this worthwhile organization.
Finally, I hope you get the chance to stop
by Stoneleigh - have a stroll about
- Enjoy the great work done by the folks dedicated to this
amazing, historic property: Dennis Canakis, Laura Cruz,
Cody Hudgens, Summer Sugg, Jason Wirtz and of course, Ethan
Kauffman.

For my Signoff today, I leave
you with this thought to help you grow...

Expand your appreciation for
gardens by visiting a public garden in your area this
year.

Bring a notebook.

Take some pictures with your
phone.

Pack a picnic - and bring a
pillow.

Spend some time, as Walt Whitman
would say: to stand and sit among the gardens, musing and
rehabilitating your sane or sick spirit, as near at peace at you
can be.

About the Podcast

Still Growing is a weekly gardening podcast dedicated to helping you and your garden grow.
Jennifer Ebeling is a home and garden blogger at 6ftmama.com & host of the Still Growing gardening podcast (available on iTunes & Stitcher Radio). Jennifer writes and records for the show in her home studio in lovely Maple Grove, Minnesota. You can read more about Jennifer on her About Page.
You can contact her at Jennifer {at} 6ftmama.com.